


Bounty Hunted

by Rekko



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Autistic Entrapta (She-Ra), Best Friend Squad (She-Ra), F/F, F/M, M/M, Original Character(s), Outer Space, Post-Canon, Post-Season 5, Romance, Trans Perfuma (She-Ra)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:33:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 20,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24313576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rekko/pseuds/Rekko
Summary: After Horde Prime's defeat and the destruction of the Heart of Etheria, magic and freedom has finally returned to the universe.The Best Friend Squad have set out to journey through the cosmos and help the universe adjust to this newfound phenomenon of magic and power. Quickly the squad and Etheria as a whole find themselves in a new found fame as the planet that has birthed new life to the galaxy and the Best Friend Squad become known as the heroes whom defeated the seemingly invincible Horde Prime.However, unbeknownst to the now legendary Best Friend Squad, their newfound fame has attracted the attention of villains seeking to wipe them out, and a 1,000,000,000 unit bounty for their capture.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Entrapta/Hordak (She-Ra), Kyle/Rogelio (She-Ra), Mermista/Sea Hawk (She-Ra), Netossa/Spinnerella (She-Ra), Perfuma/Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 57





	1. Aftermath

This is what Catra wanted all along. She didn't want to fight for the Horde, to climb the ranks, or even rule the entire universe. What she wanted was love. Love from her friends, family, and... Adora.  
  
They failed. Horde Prime had taken over the heart of Etheria for himself, and the universe was going to be wiped out. But if the world was going to end in a matter of seconds; everyone dying in flames of hopeless destruction, Catra was at least happy to spend her last moments having locked lips with the girl she always loved. It was really romantic the more Catra thought about it. It was like a tragic Opera, two lovers dying in each other’s arms. A passionate kiss so long sought yet so short lived; a deep burning passion with just as much heat as the apocalyptic flames that would wipe out the cosmos. It was a bittersweet tale that would end at any minute... both lovers would die along with everyone they had come to know and love by some catastrophic explosion that should have happened two minutes ago... and still hasn't arrived... Why is she not dead?  
  
Catra broke her kiss with Adora; when she expected to be surrounded by either purging flames; Horde-prime's clones; or their own-still chipped- friends, Catra instead saw the room colored by a mesmerizing glow. Catra looked down at the girl in her arms; She-ra was in her arms.  
  
"A-Adora?" Catra asked with amazement and shock. Adora looked back at Catra with the same loving smile as before they locked lips. "Adora? what's going on? How are you She-ra? Why aren't we dead?"  
  
"We destroyed the heart," Adora said. Adora didn't look confused, she seemed confidant, for the first time in her life she understood everything.  
  
Catra helped Adora up to her feet, the now transformed girl standing taller than Catra. Catra looked up behind her, the massive cubic structure; the heart; is wasn't there anymore. Now it was nothing more than shattered hunks of metal on the ground. Catra looked back at Adora, taking in the literally magical glow emanating out of her.  
  
"So, that's why you look more _glowey_ than usual," Catra said with a giggle. Her momentary smile once again turned back into confusion, she was happy, but exactly _how_ did Adora destroy the heart. "I still don't get it, how did you do it? I begged for you not to give up, but I thought Prime infected you. Ho-" before Catra could continue to question everything again, Adora picked her up in a tight; yet soft and warm embrace before kissing her.  
  
A second kiss... it amazed Catra that she was still alive to receive a second kiss from the love of her life. Catra didn't want to let go, but at the same time she was willing to part lips in exchange for air, after all it seemed like there would be many more kisses to come. Catra opened her eyes again to meet Adora's, still awaiting an answer.  
  
"It was because of you... It was because of your love- _our_ love that I was able to turn into She-ra," Adora said as she settled Catra down on her feet.  
  
Catra blushed, it still didn't make sense, how could her own love save the entire world? "But that can't be, I-I thought I was a distraction?"  
  
"You were never a distraction Catra... you gave me focus," Adora said. It all made sense to the blonde now, just like when she first turned into She-ra without the sword back in Horde Prime's ship. It was Catra; it was her friends; it was everyone she had ever loved or cared for; finally letting herself receive all that love, it all made so much sense now. "C'mon, we have an evil empire to take down," Adora said with the brightest smile Catra had ever seen.  
  
As Adora began walking towards the exit of the labyrinth, Catra followed close behind. Even after everything she had done, someone still loved her, _Adora_ loved her. A small tear escaped Catra's eye, what was supposed to be the end of the universe, turned into the happiest day in Catra's life.  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
Magic was returning to the universe, by the dozens planets once baron and dead were flourishing with new life thanks to the heart of Etheria's destruction. There was one planet called Tropado, a home to an alien race of fish people similar to those whom could be found on Etheria. The tropical planet used to be ruled by Horde Prime's tyranny, the vital resources of the planet had been drained, flora and fauna were running to near extinction and the entire world was surely going to be wiped out by Prime. However, when Horde Prime met his demise, all the robots and spires had shut down, and the clones occupying the planet had gained wills of their own; even going as far as to help the people of Tropado rebuild their society. After 3 months had passed, the magic freed from Etheria had spread over to Tropado and revived the flora and faunas that had thought to have perished. The future for the planet never looked brighter, however the planet's newfound magic didn't come without consequences.  
  
"Monster! A monster from the depths! Everybody run!!!" An angler fish man exclaimed as he ran through his village. A massive creature twice the size of the village houses was wreaking havoc. It was a crab monster with four crab legs and one massive lobster claw and a dozen tentacles taking place of the other arm. Its face was simply two pitch black eyes and a massive mouth that vertically split its face.  
  
The citizens of the village ran as fast as they could to either the forest or the sea, but a young catfish man tripped and sprained his ankle. The monster effortlessly tore its way through a house, the lasers shot from the Horde clones' blasters did nothing to damage the creature's strong carapace. The villager braced himself for death as the monster's massive claw descended towards him. The villager closed his eyes, ready for an inevitable death, but where he expected to see the darkness the monster casts over him he instead felt someone's hand grab his shoulder as he was enveloped by a glittering pink glow. Suddenly he was far away from the monster, surrounded by his fellow neighbors whom have established a safe zone near the village's exit.  
  
"Are you hurt?" The villager turned to see a girl with pink hair and lightly tanned skin.  
  
"Y-Yes but who are you?" The villager asked as the foreign girl helped him up off the sand and on his feet.  
  
"My name is-"  
  
"GLIMMEEEEEER!!!" Glimmer turned around to see a boy having been thrown through the air.  
  
"BOW!" Glimmer exclaimed, teleporting to Bow and catching him, then teleporting again on the top of one of the village buildings.  
  
"That was too close," Bow said as he took deep breaths.  
  
"What happened?" Glimmer asked as she settled Bow on his feet.  
  
"So when you teleported me onto its shoulder i managed to get a clean hit on the eye, but then it grabbed and flung me across the village," Bow answered, followed by the monster roaring to the skies before locking its sights on Bow. The monster ran and lunged itself towards the building him and glimmer were on.  
  
"You shouldn't have done that!" Glimmer said as she grabbed Bow and teleported away before the monster slammed into the house. The monster grabbed a large pile of rocks and stone in its claw, turned around and chucked it over at Glimmer and Bow. Seeing the rock heading their way, Glimmer created a ball of pink light in one of her hands; with as much energy as she could she through it at the pile of rocks and stone; blowing them into smithereens. "Ha! How's that for a spark bomb!?" Glimmer exclaimed. Ever since the heart of Etheria was destroyed, everyone's magic had greatly increased in power, to the point where even Glimmer's own energy balls -which Frosta had since dubbed spark bombs- were now capable of doing much greater damage than before. The monster growled, using the massive tentacles from its right side to grab three large rocks from the rubble.  
  
"Aw man," Bow said as the monster chucked the rocks. Glimmer was about to once again teleport her and Bow, but before she could do so two red beams collided with the two of the projectiles while a purple beam blew up the third. Glimmer and Bow turned around to see Melog, Hordak and Entrapta sat crisscrossed atop Emily. Hordak still wore the armor he had been given by Horde Prime, but now it had been recolored to the blacks and greys of the armor Entrapta had originally made; upgraded with canons on both arms. His eyes and teeth had also regained their crimson glow; as well as his hair regaining its dark blue color.  
  
"Hiiii!" Entrapta said as Emily carried her to Bow and Glimmer; Hordak followed while continuing to fire laser shots from his canons.   
  
"Thanks for the save Entrapta!" Bow exclaimed, followed by Hordak giving an annoyed grunt. "Oh, and you too Hordak, thanks... I'm still not used to that."  
  
"Where are Adora and Catra?" Hordak asked as the monster began to charge towards them. All of Hordak's blasts were doing no damage to its carapace, the armor seeming glow yellow when the lasers come in contact with it.  
  
Glimmer quickly huddled everyone together to teleport them another couple feet away; dodging the monster's charge. "We don't know! They haven't been answering our comms!" Glimmer exclaimed.  
  
"Woooow! Its carapace is coated in some sort of skin-tight force-field," Entrapta said as she positioned her tracker pad to face towards the monster; through the screen the monster appeared to be a yellow silhouette. "That must be the source of the magic signal that brought us here!" Entrapta said as she began to cackle and laugh with joy.  
  
"Entrapta!" Glimmer exclaimed as the monster wound up its tentacles to swing towards the heroes. everyone huddled again as Glimmer used her teleport to get everyone atop another building. "Alright, just because I have unlimited teleports now doesn't mean everyone can sit like ducks waiting for me to save them!"   
  
"Adora! Catra! Where are you guys!?" Bow exclaimed as he spoke into his earpiece.   
  
While Bow's attempt to contact Adora and Catra failed, Entrapta was taking notes and gathering data on the monster that was currently trying to get bow's arrow out of its eye. "It seems that while its magically amplified carapace is nullifying both energy and magical attacks, the protective coating doesn't extend to the gaps in its armor or anywhere that isn't the carapace."  
  
"I see, in that case..." Hordak walked to the edge of the building and aimed one canon at one of the gaps between its chest armor and one at where the monster's tentacles were attached the stump of its shoulder. Firing both canons he blasted off one of the tentacles as the monster screeched in pain, but the one that hit the chest gap ended up missing and was nullified by the armor. "We should be able to deal with the tentacles, but first we should get this thing away from the village before it lays waste to everything," Hordak said; when he turned to his allies they all stared at him with surprised miens, with the exception of Entrapta. "Why are you staring at me like that?" Hordak asked angrily.  
  
"Yeah that really is gonna take some time to get used to," Glimmer said before the monster gave out another piercing screech.  
  
"We need Adora. Only a sword can properly attack between the armor's gaps and She-Ra has enough strength to cut deep into the monster's flesh," Entrapta explained. With another screech the monster locked eyes with Hordak, making its way towards the heroes.  
  
"I'll go search for Adora and Catra. Hordak, keep attacking its tentacles; Glimmer, keep its attention on you while also going for the tenticles; Melog, stay with Hordak and keep him invisible and Entrapta, keep your distance while also looking for other weak points," Bow ordered. With a mutual nod between all of them, Bow made his way into the tropical forest where Adora and Catra had last been while the rest confronted the crab beast.  
  
"Where are you guys!?" Bow exclaimed as he entered the forest, calling out both of their names as loud as he could. Now he was really wishing that their other allies were with them. Mermista and Perfuma could easily immobilize the monster with forest and ocean, and Swift Wind doesn't need a tracker pad. Unfortunately the princesses were busy with helping their kingdom's adjust to a new age of freedom and magic while Swift Wind was apparently preoccupied with "diplomacy" involving freeing the horses from stables.  
  
The deeper he got into the forest, the more he realized how creepy it seemed. Bow tried to calm himself, but he couldn't fight the thoughts of what kind of danger his friends could be in. What if they had encountered another monster? Maybe one of the tropical trees turned out to be mutated and ate them?  
  
"No! Snap out of it Bow! Catra and Adora are two of the strongest people you know, they could handle anything th-" before Bow could finish his sentance She-Ra and Catra leapt from the bushes, running as if their lives depended on it. She-Ra grabbed bow and held him over her shoulder. "Adora!? What's going on!? Why are we running!?" Bow asked, but as he witnessed the mass of trees before him collapse, he had gotten his answer.

* * *

  
  
  
"Ow!" Catra said as she was poked by a spiked palm tree.  
  
"C'mon Catra, let's search for anything this way," Adora said as she walked past some bushes.  
  
"Okay, I don't get why we're searching for the signal all the way out in the forest. Didn't Entrapta say it was at shore? Catra asked as she rubbed her own hair, which since Horde Prime's clones had cut it, it regrew down to her neck.  
  
"Entrapta said it was below shore, and moving," Adora answered as she hopped over some rocks.  
  
"So you decided to search for it deep in the forest; without a tracker pad; on land; in hopes that we would just stumble upon it on a planet where everyone and everything is part fish?" Catra asked with an annoyed mien.

Adora put a hand on her chin and took a split second to think before smiling. "Yep, that's about it."  
  
Catra giggle and gave Adora a small smile. "Of course, what did I expect," Catra said with a shake of her head.  
  
"Hey, you're the one who decided to come with me in the forest," Adora said with a smirk.  
  
"Yeah, well I just wanted to stay away from the water," Catra smirked back, hopping forward to walk side by side with Adora. "And...I wanted to spend time with my girlfriend," Catra said with blood rushing to her cheeks; giving a soft smile as she held Adora's hand.   
  
Adora giggled as she took a firmer hold on Catra's hand. "Say it again."  
  
"What? That you're my girlfriend?" Catra asked with a cheeky smile, earning another giggle and blush from Adora. "Alright, now you say it."  
  
"You're my girlfriend," Adora said. Both lovers giggled again, leaning closer to each other until Catra leaned her head against Adora's.  
  
"It’s funny..." Catra said, stopping Adora and turning face to face with her. Catra smiled before closing her eyes and pressing her forehead against Adora's; the blonde followed suit. "We've only been dating for two months, but it feels like we've been doing this all our lives."   
  
"Well, we sort of have. We just never managed to say the right words," Adora said as she captured Catra's lips. Catra returned the affection, even when the universe wasn't in peril every kiss was just as magical as their first, minus the magical universe-saving glow.   
  
"I love you," they both said in perfect unison.  
  
As their heads parted, Catra's eyes widened for a moment before shifting into a blushed smirk. "You know... I highly doubt we're going to run into one of these signals all the way out here, buuuut while our friends are finding some magical artifact or whatever, we could have some time to ourselves?"   
  
Blood rushed up Adora's neck and up to her cheeks. "Oh, well-umm... that sounds great but we really should find that signal..." Adora said.  
  
Catra's ears slightly drooped in disappointment. "Yeah, right..." Catra said. However, as Adora and her were about search for the signal, Adora took some time to ponder and think.  
  
"Actually, wait," Adora said as she grabbed Catra's arm, suprising her as the blonde pulled her into a sudden embrace. "Let’s do it."  
  
Catra's eyes widened; if it wasn't for her fur it would have been possible to see her entire face go crimson. Adora's eyes widened as she realized her poor choice of words. "Wait! I-I didn't mean it like _that._ I meant that since every time we try to get some privacy in the ship either Bow barges in for some emergency; Entrapta wanders in without knocking; or Glimmer teleports inside our room and then things get really awkward..." Adora said, her awkward expression morphing into a soft smile. "So... I think the signal could wait for a couple minutes."

"Have I ever told you you’re really cute when you let yourself be selfish?" Catra asked. Adora rolled her eyes before capturing Catra's lips with her own. Both lovers hadn't made out for even five seconds when the planet began to shake, and ground below them collapsed. Catra and Adora screamed in peril as they fell, the blonde quickly grabbing her girlfriend and turned so that she could break Catra's fall. They both eventually had their fall broken by water; Catra immediately panicked and swam as far up to the surface as she could.  
  
"Ah! Water! We gotta get out of here!" Catra exclaimed as she tried to find the nearest rock or ledge.   
  
"Catra wait! I can't see a thing!" Adora exclaimed. Everything was pitch black, no light could be seen from where the ground had initially collapsed. Catra grabbed Adora's hand and swam to a nearby by ledge, Catra got up and pulled Adora out of the water.  
  
"C'mon! Not even the planet can give us some privacy!?" Catra exclaimed as she shook the water off her body like a dog.  
  
"Are you okay?" Adora asked, trying to find her girlfriend in the darkness. Unlike Catra, Adora wasn’t blessed with feline nightvision.  
  
"Aside from almost drowning and having our moment ruined, I'm fine; how about you?" Catra said as she grabbed Adora's hand to let her know she was there.  
  
"I'm fine, but where are we?" Adora said before calling upon the honor of Grayskull and turning into She-Ra. She-Ra's body Illuminated the darkness, revealing that Catra and her were inside a massive cave. "Just great. Bow, Glimmer, are you gu-oh no..." Adora put a hand up her ear, but she noticed that her earpiece was missing.  
  
"Crap, lost mine too," Catra said as she checked her cat ears.  
  
"Well hey, this is a pretty massive cave, there should be a way out of here," Adora said as she held Catra's hand and led the way. As they walked Adora noticed that the cave seemed relatively ordinary, and there didn't look to be signs of anything that could have made the ground above collapse. That was until they suddenly came across a massive hole that led into a tunnel, the dust in the air and bits of rock the feel from the edges meant that it was made recently.  
  
"Whoa," was all Catra could say. She and Adora exchanged nods, knowing that this was the only way they could go. After about a couple minutes of walking and staying vigilant, the couple came across a wall with to pathways at the sides. Adora and Catra looked both ways, lucky for them their lights at the end of both path ways. "Wow, two exits! I think the one to our left should bring us to the others," Adora said.  
  
"Wait, Adora, why is the light at the end of here blue?" Catra asked as she pointed to the other path. Adora looked closer and noticed that the glow was indeed strange, in fact it seemed to be getting bright... and closer. The tunnel began to rumble violently as the blue light kept moving towards them at a surprising speed.  
  
"Adora..."  
  
"RUN!" Adora exclaimed as she and Catra ran the opposite direction. After making it out of the tunnel and running through the forest, they heard the earth behind them explode from whatever was continuing to chase them. Adora took a quick glance behind her, and immediately she knew that she couldn't take on the thing that was chasing them in the middle of the forest. A massive beast that was some hybrid of an eel and a worm; it was dark blue, and it had one massive cyan eye with two smaller ones on either side. it was tearing through the ground below it and sent trees and rock flying in the sky without any sign of slowing down. As Adora and Catra ran, they heard Bow's voice calling out for them. Following the sound of his voice they eventually ran into him, but instead of slowing down Adora grabbed him over her shoulder and ran.  
  
"Adora!? What's going on!? Why are we running!?" Bow asked, but as he witnessed the mass of trees before him collapse, he had gotten his answer.  
  
"No time to explain! Where are the others!?" Adora asked as she used her sword to cut through the trees that were in her way.  
  
"The others are fighting a giant crab monster in the village!" Bow answered.  
  
"What!?" Adora exclaimed.  
  
"We tried calling you guys, but you wouldn't answer," Bow said.  
  
"We lost our earpieces," Catra said, to Bow's disbelief.  
  
"How did you lose them!?"   
  
"Forget about that! What are we going to do about this thing!?" Catra exclaimed as she hopped over a couple rocks.  
  
"We can't let this thing follow us to the village!" Bow exclaimed, a couple houses had already been brought down by the crab monster, who knows what could happen with two monsters.  
  
"Bow! You still have your earpiece and tracker pad right!?" Adora asked.  
  
"Of course! Unlike some people who don't take care of the devices their friends make for them," Bow said with his arms crossed.  
  
"Will you please get over that! I have a plan!"  
  
  


* * *

  
  
"Alright ugly! Try and catch me!" Glimmer exclaimed as she teleported through the air, leading the crab monster out of the village and into the neighboring beach, baron of any civilians. The monster tried to attack Glimmer with one of its tentacles, only for the princess to teleport back to the ground. The monster wound up its last remaining tentacle to slam onto Glimmer, only for it to be burned off by one of Hordak's lazer canons. The monster turned around to see nothing but sand and rocks, but when it noticed footprints appearing from nothing it rose its massive claw and tried to squash the source of the prints. Hordak barely dodged the attack, the shock wave from the claw's slam sent him a couple feet away and Melog to fly out of his body. Before the monster could follow up with another claw slam Glimmer teleported to Hordak and Melog; then teleported them away before the massive claw smashed the sand again.   
  
"Are you guys okay?" Glimmer asked. Melog gave an exhausted purr while Hordak seemed confused for a moment.  
  
"Y-Yes, I'm alright," Hordak said as Glimmer helped him and Melog up. Hordak stared at Glimmer for a brief second before giving off an awkward cough. "Is this the part where I'm supposed to ask if you are okay too?"  
  
Glimmer was taken aback by Hordak's comment, giving off an awkward chuckle. "Umm, if you think I was hurt, I guess? I'm fine though, thanks," Glimmer said with a smile.  
  
"Hey guys!" Glimmer and Hordak turned to see Emily carrying Entrapta and scurring over to them. "Has Bow returned with Catra and Adora yet?" She asked.  
  
Glimmer shook her head before turning on her earpiece. "I'm not sure, Bow have you-"  
  
"Are you guys away from the village!?" Bow said, interrupting Glimmer over the comms.  
  
"Yeah, we somehow did it without any more houses getting destroyed."  
  
"Where is the monster's position!?" Bow asked, it seemed as though he was scarred of something; their seemed to be a lot of noise in the background of Bow's call.  
  
"It is currently in front of the forest and is flailing it's limbs around. Ah, wait, now it is grabbing a massive tree and preparing to use it as a weapon!" Entrapta said as the monster used its giant claw to pull out a massive palm tree.  
  
"Alright! Prepare yourselves!" Bow exclaimed over the intercom.  
  
"Prepare for wh-" before Glimmer could finish Adora and Catra ran out of the forest with a massive eel beast on their tail. Catra, Adora, and Bow dove to the side as the massive eel monster rammed the crab monster, the force making both beast fall and grind against the ground. The crab monster fell on its stomach, grinding against the sand before just stopping before Glimmer's feet. The monster made pained noises as it looked up, nearly blinded by the glow of Glimmer's hands and Hordak's canons. Glimmer and Hordak opened fire and burned through the monster's face, disintegrating its head as well as some of its internal organs within its body. The blast created a lot of smoke and cauterized whatever had been burned.  
  
"Woohoo!" Glimmer exclaimed victoriously.  
  
"I wouldn't Woohoo just yet," Entrapta said.  
  
Glimmer's glee soon turned to dread as the shadow of the massive eel monster cast itself over her. The monster's veined eyes frantically darted in all directions, until its eyes locked on directly at glimmer. Everyone huddled to Glimmer, but before they could teleport out of harm’s way the eel monster shot a bolt of electricity from its eye and electrocuted Glimmer. As Glimmer and those around her were being electrocuted the eel monster prepared to dive down and chomp down on its pray, but instead it screeched in agony; flailing around from a sharp pain in its neck. As Glimmer and the others recovered, they saw She-Ra hanging on to her sword -which had been plunged deep in the eel monster's neck- while the monster wildly whipped around. Glimmer quickly teleported everyone out of the way before the eel's tail could swipe them away.  
  
"Guys!" Bow exclaimed, running over to glimmer and embracing her tightly.  
  
"Bow! Are you guys alright?" Glimmer asked as she broke the embrace.  
  
"Aside running from becoming monster chow, nothing we haven't dealt with before," Bow said.   
  
"Do you mind explaining to us what took you so long and why you brought _another_ monster for us to deal with?" Hordak asked with an annoyed growl. Hordak felt Emily slightly bump into him, Hordak turned and saw Entrapta giving him an exaggerated pout. Hordak resigned his angered mien and turned back to the others. "And... I'm glad you are all safe..." Hordak said, followed by Entrapta embracing him happily.  
  
"While Adora and I were searching for one of the signals the ground caved in and we lost our earpieces, you can thank _that_ thing for that." Catra said as she kept her eyes on Adora, whom was holding onto her sword for dear life as the eel monster swung her around. "Adora! Let go!" Catra called. She was afraid that the eel monster was going to through her off into the rocks or slam her against the sand. She knew She-Ra was durable enough to survive that, but it didn't make her worry any less.  
  
"Don't worry! I got it! If I get the sword deeper, I cou-" before Adora could finish speaking the eel monster gave another piercing shriek before coating itself in electricity. Adora cried in pain from the electrification before being thrown back down against a large rock.   
  
"Adora!" The rest of the best friend squad exclaimed in unison. Glimmer quickly teleported Catra and Bow to Adora while Hordak; Emily; and Melog kept the monster occupied.  
  
Adora was was on her back, wincing in pain as Catra and Bow helped her up on her feet.  
  
"I know throwing yourself into danger is kinda your thing, but we should really work on dialing that back," Glimmer said.  
  
"No promises," Adora chuckled. Catra elbowed Adora, the blonde turned to the cat girl and noticed that she seemed displeased with her comment.  
  
Hordak and Emily were firing lasers at the eel monster while Melog created illusions of spikes to keep the eel still. Unlike the crab monster Hordak and Emily's lasers were able to do significant damage to the eel monster, but when the eel monster figured out the true nature of Melogs illusions it showed that it could make up its lack of armor with mobility. The eel monster was able to dodge the lasers and figure out that they were trying to aim for its head, after finding its footing the eel's massive eye locked onto Entrapta and began to glow cyan.  
  
"No!" Hordak exclaimed. he quickly ran to Entrapta and Emily; quickly he grabbed the bottom of Emily; flipping her and Entrapta away while taking the brunt of the eel's electric attack. Hordak grunted in pain before falling on his hands and knees. Entrapta, Emily, and Melog immediately ran to his aid, Entrapta immediately helping him up while checking for any severe injuries.  
  
The best friend squad readied their battle stances as the eel monster locked eyes with them, but instead of charging into battle the eel monster looked over to the wide ocean. The best friend squad turned to where what caught the eel monster's attention, their hearts dropped as they noticed that may of the villagers had evacuated by swimming outward to the ocean. Before they knew it the eel proceeded to dive into the ocean. In a hurry Adora ran as fast as she could and used her super strength to just catch the end of the eel monster's tail before it could enter the sea. The rest of the best friend squad grabbed on to the tail and tried their best to help Adora keep the monster from escaping the shore. They managed to pull the monster away little by little, but suddenly the monster enveloped itself in a surge of electricity, knocking away everyone's grip apart from Adora, whom held on through the pain. The eel continued to struggle, but She-Ra's strength was too great to break free from. Adora screamed again when the eel coated itself in another surge of electricity; never relinquishing her grip.  
  
"Adora!" Catra exclaimed, fearing for her girlfriend's life. "Let go!" This wasn't going to happen, Catra wasn't going to let her girlfriend get shocked to death by some eel.  
  
"I can't! We can't let this thing go after the villagers!" Adora exclaimed as she was hit with another surge of electricity. After the surge the eel began to overpower, She-Ra's strength and drag itself back into the ocean. Adora's feet dragged against the sand, trying to keep the eel from slipping away, before the eel could escape, she saw two metal hands grab onto the eel's tail; claws fiercely digging into its flesh. She looked up and saw Hordak was helping her keep the monster in place, with the combined strength of She-Ra and Hordak's exoskeleton they were able to pull the eel back. The eel kept creating surges of electricity, but Adora and Hordak powered through the pain.  
  
"Don't just stand there! Kill the dam thing!" Hordak exclaimed to the others.  
  
The others look onward; the head of the eel monster was submerged below the water.  
  
"Its protecting its own head! We can't get a get an accurate shot!" Entrapta exclaimed as Emily tried to search for weak points. She was desperately reading the data she had collected and trying to figure out a strategy to kill the monster and keep her friends from getting harmed.  
  
When Hordak and Adora suffered another surge of shock; Bow noticed something. "The electricity! It can't keep protecting itself forever, only in surges!"  
  
Catra was at a loss, Adora could only take so many more shocks before her brain would be fried and Catra couldn't do anything. However, when she heard what Bow said, she scanned the entire length of the eel monster and like a switch being flicked on Catra's instincts kicked into overdrive. It felt like time had slowed down; every individual hair stood tall; then suddenly Catra darted forward across the sand on all fours. After the eel created another surge, Catra swiftly hopped on its back and ran straight for the head.  
  
"Catra wait!" Bow exclaimed. Due to Catra's speed Bow had to think quick, and an idea popped into his head. Bow took the sharpest arrow he had and stabbed the eel's flesh as hard as he could. The eel monster rose up out of the water due to the pain, allowing Catra to keep running without having to worry about drowning. Catra ran up to the head and launched herself upward, the eel had its head bent so far back that the neck was completely exposed to the catgirl. With feral focus Catra spun as she descended, severing the eel's head with a mighty slash of her claws before diving into the water.  
  
The best friend squad were amazed by the attack; even Hordak seemed relatively impressed by Catra's skill and strength. Catra swam back to shore, any blood that had gotten on her washed off by sea water.  
  
"Catra! That was amazing!" Adora said, turning back into her normal form as she ran up to Catra; not noticing her girlfriends bothered mien.  
  
"Yeah, I think you may have even put She-Ra to shame with that stunt," Glimmer smirked.  
  
"Whoa wait-I mean, I wouldn't go that far; She-Ra was pretty great too," Adora said in cheeky jest.  
  
"C'mon we all did great guys," Bow said as he joined the squad.  
  
Glimmer looked past bow and noticed Entrapta and Hordak conversing with one another.  
  
"You performed spectacularly Hordak! Sorry that the canon's destructive power wasn't as we hoped," Entrapta said as she was checking up on Hordak's armor.  
  
"Nonsense, the canons were my fault. We should have stuck closer to your original design like you suggested," Hordak said before a proud smile formed on his face. "However, the strength enhancements you provided exceeded our expectations." Hordak smiled and flexed his mechanical arm. "Stupendous work as always Entrapta." Entrapta beamed at Hordak's praise, using her hair to make notes on her pad.  
  
Before Hordak and Entrapta could walk back to the village, Glimmer teleported in front of them. "Hey, just wanted to say you guys did great today; you two make a great team," Glimmer said, followed by a noise from emily that could only be interpreted as annoyance. "Sorry, you _three_ make a great team," Glimmer said with a happy chuckle.  
  
Hordak simply stood in place awkwardly until Emily nudged hard against his hip, almost knocking Entrapta off balance. "O-Oh-ummm, right," Hordak said before clearing his throat. "You... performed exceptional as well, had I been better aware of the extent of your teleportation, I would have been much more cautious of you."  
  
"Well good thing you weren't, cause then we wouldn't be here now," Glimmer said after giving an awkward chuckle, though she couldn't help but smile and appreciate Hordak's effort. "Awkward pasts aside, thanks." Glimmer, Hordak, Entrapta, and Emily returned to the others, but Glimmer noticed something was odd.  
  
"I know we just risked our lives, but man taking down two monsters in one day was really something huh?" Adora said to Bow.  
  
"That's the power of the best friend squad for you! Though I really don't want to be chased by a giant eel again..." Bow said with a broken sweat.  
  
"Umm Catra? Are you alright?" Glimmer asked as she approached the squad. Adora and Bow turned to see that Catra looked bothered by something, and Melog was glowing red as well.  
  
"Wha-no I'm fine I-" Melog nudged Catra before she could finish. She looked up and saw her friends concerned faces.  
  
"Catra, you know if there's something wrong you can tell us, right?" Bow said.  
  
Catra knew he was right, even after everything she did they had accepted her as part of their squad. She needed to stop running away from her feelings, she needed to confront them head on. "Y-Yeah, there is something wrong, I feel like there are a _lot_ of things wrong right now," Catra said. Deep down it felt nice to finally let herself be vulnerable, to trust others with her feelings; but as she looked to the side as villagers began to swim back to shore, she couldn't allow herself to spill all of her emotions at the moment. "But, let’s just save it for later. We should help the villagers and make sure they're safe," Catra said as she and Melog turned and headed back to the village.  
  
Adora looked onward as Catra walked away, the way she was walking, she couldn't help but feel as if she was hurt somehow.   
  
_"Did I do something wrong?"_ Was all Adora could ask herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of Princess' Bounty!
> 
> Since the show's conclusion I have been hit by a mass amount of inspiration and a hunger to see what adventures await the best friend squad!
> 
> Prepare yourselves for a story filled with action, romance, and mystery! I've got some exciting stuff in store for the future and I hope I can provide all of you with a fun ride!


	2. LUVD

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The road to redemption was going to be a long one for the former leader of Etheria's Horde, but he is ready to travel that road without any detours.
> 
> Hordak has a certain purple haired inventor to thank for his new path in life, and he wishes to repay in kind.

_"And then Horde Prime captured me! But luckily Bow was able to still finish hacking into Horde Prime's system and free our friends from his mind control chips! And that's when he ordered you to kill me, but then you defied him and then-oh right you were there for all of that," Entrapta beamed. She and Hordak were currently strolling through what had turned from a baron battlefield to gorgeous grasslands. Hordak simply smiled, enjoying Entrapta's company and taking in all the events that had transpired in his absence. Suddenly Entrapta's mien turned from happiness to a mix of curiosity and worry. "Wait a minute, when Horde Prime took over your body, were you still concious?"_

_Hordak was taken aback by Entrapta's question, wincing from pain he'd rather forget about. But this was Entrapta; he could always trust in her; he could be vulnerable around her. "Whenever Horde Prime takes control of one of his "brothers", we can still see what transpires. It's an unpleasant feeling, like your very existence was being forcefully torn from your body..." As Hordak explained his experience of being possessed, his voice become increasingly more furious as he recalled the most recent example of being possessed. "I saw what he did to you, taking you as a hostage to burn with him, and just as soon as you told me I could finally be what I want to be he-" Before Hordak lost his temper, Entrapta cupped his cheek with her hair, calming him down with her soft smile._   
  
_"It’s okay Hordak, your brother is gone, he can't hurt us anymore," Entrapta said. That smile,her touch, everything about her always put Hordak at piece. He remembered when she first came into his lab, no matter how furiously he ordered her to get out, she never feared him. Hordak was always either an emperor that demanded either fear and respect or was seen as an insignificant man to be put down or overthrown. Entrapta was different, she mostly cared about assisting him with the portal; with the fright zone bots; even his own mechanical exoskeleton. Entrapta called him her lab partner; for the first time in his life Hordak got to be someone's equal._   
  
_"You're right, H-Horde Prime is gone; I am free now..." Hordak said, as he recalled the last moments in Horde Prime's ship before his body had been hijacked, what Entrapta said to him. "You said that I can be whatever I want to be... that is what you said?"_   
  
_"Word for word."_   
  
_Hordak looked down and noticed how Entrapta's hands were wrapped around his waist. Slowly Hordak gently; carefully embraced Entrapta in his arms. "Hmph, this Warmth... so this is what it feel like to be free?" Hordak said as he began to laugh, it wasn't maniacal, it wasn't sarcastic, it was a genuine; happy laugh. Entrapta laughed along with him, if her mind was much less active she would have wished to stay in Hordak's for eternity, but of course there was no rest for the brilliant._   
  
_"So... what do you want to do now? What do you want to be?" Entrapta asked Hordak._   
  
_Hordak loosened his embrace and pondered what he paths he wished to walk. As he recalled his few moments of happiness; the experiments he and Entrapta ran; the banter, and the feeling of warmth she gave him, he knew what he wanted to be. "I wish to be... I wish to continue being your... lab partner." Hordak said as he once again met Entrapta's eyes._   
  
_Entrapta beamed and her eyes shone like the sun as she rejoiced; listing all the things she and Hordak could do together now that they were free. Hordak smiled, content with being bombarded by his lab partner's enthusiasm. Although, there was something wrong with that title, being her lab partner, Hordak knew there was something even greater that he wanted to be with Entrapta, but he couldn't fathom what the right words could be._   
  
_"Ooooh where should we go now! I mean there's the Fright Zone, Dryl, Beast I-"_   
  
_"Next stop is space!" Bow exclaimed a couple feet behind Entrapta. Entrapta turned to see the best friend squad strolling through the grass lands, discussing about their next move. What Bow had said slowly sunk into Entrapta's minds, slowly she began to produce a sound akin to helium escaping a balloon._   
  
_"Entrapta? Ar you alright? Hordak asked, her stepped beside Entrapta to see that her eyes were sparkling like the stars and her clenched fist were shaking._   
  
_"haaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh... SPAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!!!" Entrapta exclaimed, as she grabbed Hordak's hand and proceeded to charge towards the best friend squad. The squad turned around, eyes widening at the sight of Entrapta running straight towards them with Hordak while yelling space like a battle cry. They braced themselves for impact, luckily Entrapta managed to grind her hair to a halt before crashing into Bow. "Space-I heard someone say space-you guys are going back to space!!!?"_   
  
_"Umm, yeah that's the plan," Adora said with a nervous chuckle._   
  
_"Can we go with you!? I can take care of Darla! I can help develop new tech for you! Oh and the data I can collect!" Entrapta exclaimed as she seemed to become more and more enraptured by the fantasies of space exploration. While Entrapta was drooling within the infinite voids of space, the best friend squad discussed Entrapta's proposition._   
  
_"So what do you think guys? Wanna add more members to the squad?" Adora asked with a smile, already knowing the unanimous verdict._   
  
_"Nobody else knows how to operate Darla better than Entrapta can," Glimmer said._   
  
_"And our friends would still be chipped if it wasn't for her hacking into his hive mind," Bow said._   
  
_"If she can keep us from being crushed by space rock or suffocating in a void of nothingness, than I'm down," Catra said, happy that she could have more time to mend things with her friend._   
  
_"Alright Entrapta, welcome to the best friend squad!" Bow exclaimed with a bright, toothy grin._   
  
_"YAY! You heard that Hordak! We're going to be venturing the undiscovered reaches of space!" Entrapta exclaimed._   
  
_The best friend squad was taken aback at the mention of Hordak. Due to Entrapta's enthusiasm the squad hadn't noticed Hordak's presence._   
  
_"Huh? Hey, is something wrong?" Entrapta asked as she noticed her friend's awkward miens, though Adora didn't seem as bothered as the rest of the squad. Hordak softly placed his hands on Entrapta's shoulders, the short girl turned around to meet the taller man's sad eyes._   
  
_"Entrapta, You will be venturing into space, I doubt there is enough room for me in the-er... squad..." Hordak said with a sad smile. It was impossible to join a squad who's members he had sought to destroy in the name of Horde Prime's return. However, if Entrapta could live her wildest dreams of exploration and discovery, than that was the greatest wish Hordak could ask for._   
  
_"What? No, Hordak, wait!" Entrapta said as Hordak turned and walked away. She was about to chase him down, beg him to stay with her, but before she could move someone else dashed past her and grabbed Hordak's hand._   
  
_"Entrapta I'm sorry but I ca-" Hordak turned around, surprised to see She-Ra-no... Adora, having stopped him._   
  
_"Hey, Hordak I know things are a bit... awkward considering last year, and the whole war, and being raised und-okay this isn't helping," Adora said as she recollected herself. "Look, a lot- and I mean- a lot of people have tried to harm, maim, and murder me and my friends for countless times, but many of those people who have tried to kill us have become some of my dearest allies," Adora said as she recalled how the likes of Huntara and Scorpia came to be amazing comrades. "In fact..." Adora tuned around and made eye contact with Catra, Adora reached out her hand; beckoning her to to take her hand. Catra's face turned crimson under her fur, she felt unsure of herself before finding the resolve to walk forward and take her lover's hand. "One of my greatest enemies is now the love of my life."_   
  
_"Oh shut up!" Catra exclaimed, pushing her girlfriend's shoulder while giggling from embarrassment._   
  
_"Oh come on Catra, I didn't sound that bad!" Adora said, smiling with her hands on her hips._   
  
_"Adora that was the cheesiest thing I have ever heard come out of your mouth!"_   
  
_"Catra our love literally saved the entire universe, how is what I said any cheesier!"_   
  
_As Adora and Catra proceeded to have a giggling fit Bow and Glimmer chuckled beside them. Even Hordak found himself smiling, the warmth that the two lovers gave off seemed so familiar to Hordak, and the squad as a whole coming together created a unique warmth that Hordak couldn't believe he was being offered to take part in. However, no matter how much he could desire becoming part of this "best friend squad" -despite the name- Hordak felt something about him joining was wrong._   
  
_"Your offer is... what's the word? Generous... it is quite generous of you to allow me into your squadron, but I must refuse." Hordak said with a sorrowful mien. The squad was also saddened, but they decided to wait and here what Hordak had to say. "I feel as though there is something wrong about me joining your squadron. Even though I have learned the importance of close bonds; even though I have no plans to further act upon malicious deeds, and even though I turned on my own brother by destroying his primary vessel with the intention of ridding him for good... I had waged war against Etheria; built an empire who's soldiers I bent to my will and my forces taken an unknown amount of lives. You may be willing to acquaint yourselves with me despite that, but I feel as though there is something missing, something that I must find before I can allow myself to join you."_   
  
_Adora was saddened, but she understood. Hordak had done a lot of terrible things, and clearly, he needed time to figure himself out before he can move on. "Hey, we won't be leaving right away. We have a lot of stuff to take care of before we head out, let us know if you ever change your mind," Adora offered._   
  
_Hordak gave a small, yet grateful smile to Adora before turning to leave; with Entrapta by his side._   
  


* * *

  
  
_"I don't understand, what could possibly be missing?" Entapta asked Hordak as she sat with him on a hill. The others were preparing to return to bright moon and assess the current state of Etheria, all the while Hordak couldn't help but ponder what he needed to find._   
  
_"I-I'm not sure, all I know is that I need something, before I can bring myself to accept Adora's invitation to join "the best friend squad"." Hordak said, immediately question why in the universe someone would name a squadron the "best friend squad"._   
  
_"But you've already redeemed yourself!" Entrapta said as she began to use her hair to walk pace around the area. "You killed your brother's main body; you saved my life; and not only has the heart of Etheria's destruction breathed new life into the universe, but it seems to have healed everyone's wounds as well as all the land that was ravaged by your empire!" Entrapta said, finally coming to a stop mere inch from Hordak's face. "There is nothing more you need to do, everything's fine now..."_   
  
_"I wouldn't say so," Entrapta and Hordak snapped their heads to the direction of a new voice that had intervened. They turned to see Frosta had appeared, with a serious mien on her face._   
  
_"O-Oh, sorry, I heard you talking, and I thought I sounded cool," Frosta said before regaining her serious mien. Frosta walked forward and stood face to face with Hordak, scanning his entire stature._   
  
_"So... you're Hordak?" Frosta asked._   
  
_"Indeed I am," Hordak answered, curious as to what this little girl was planning._   
  
_"And... you're really one of the good guys now?" Frost asked, her serious mien shifting into a mix of pain, curiosity, and even a hint of hope._   
  
_"I-I'm not sure. I turned on my brother, did my best to save Entrapta, but I-"_   
  
_"Do you feel guilty?" Frosta said, once again her face became serious, but with a mix of urgency._   
  
_"Pardon?" Hordak said, confused by what Frost meant._   
  
_"M-My parents..." Frosta began to tear up, trying her best to pull herself together so she could express her words properly. "My parents died when I was eight... they died in battle against the Horde..." Frosta clenched her fist tight, ice began to spread from her feet, mold around her hands into armor, and even her tears froze against her skin._   
  
_"She's a princess?" Hordak thought to himself as he listened to Frosta's grief._   
  
_"I barely had any time to grieve before I had to ascend the throne. My childhood was taken from me and I had to mature and pride myself for the sake of the Kingdom of Snows," Frosta didn't dare break eye-contact with Hordak, she stood tall and held her head high as a show of her strength. "My parent's murderers and their force captain were executed before my feet long ago, but I knew you were always the man in charge. I don't know if it was you; Shadow Weaver; or some other person that sent the horde to my home, but that never mattered to me." Finally, Frosta took a deep breath before continuing. "I don't know if I'll ever find it in me to forgive you, but I want to know... I **need** to know... Do. You. Feel. **Guilt**?" _   
  
_Hordak felt his chest... his heart... suddenly become unbearably heavy. It was as if the weight of the entire Horde empire was crushing him from the inside just as a black hole consumes space itself. The weight worsened as he thought about the lives affected by the war; by his actions; by his orders, and it became downright agonizing when he thought about the idea of Entrapta being one of the lives taken. What was this feeling? This unbearable pain? How could he make it stop? Should he make it stop?_   
  
_Frosta's eyes slightly softened when she noticed a tear leak out of Hordak's left eye; then it was his right eye. He wasn't balling or wailing in remorse, but he was clearly in pain, like an anchor was weighing him down into the depths of the ocean._   
  
_"Hordak?" Entrapta put an arm on his back, she was confused by what was going on, but she slowly pieced it all together._   
  
_"What is this feeling? Like a black-hole reside in my chest?" Hordak looked to the ground before him, bending forward like he had been stabbed by a rusty blade before standing back straight again and meeting Frosta's eyes. "Is this... Is this the guilt you speak of?" Hordak asked, but Frosta's confused, yet softer mien already answered his question. Suddenly Hordak began to laugh almost maniacally, but his tears betrayed his cackles. "This is it; this is what I had been searching for..."_   
  
_"Guilt..." Entrapta said to herself. Entrapta was never great with emotions. She always had trouble reading the feelings of others unless it was obvious, she even had trouble identifying her own feelings, but it was surprise to Entrapta that Hordak had never felt guilt before. "Hordak... have you never felt guilt before?" Entrapta asked. When Hordak turned to meet Entrapta's eyes, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged as tightly as she could. She knew how he felt. Even though she has trouble showing it, she would always cherish her days as a part of the super pal trio, but it wasn't until before her recent dispute with Mermista that she had considered the consequences of her actions._   
  
_"Why... after all this time... Why am I only feeling guilt now?" Hordak asked._   
  
_"Because you didn't know any better Hordak," Entrapta said as she met Hordak's eyes. "But I don't think this is your first time feeling this..." Hordak seemed confused for a moment, but he let Entrapta continue. "A lot of people used to think I didn't care about anything other than tech and discovery. I mean, I love tech, I live and breathe it! But I also love my friends; I care about their safety and well-being, and it hurts when I mess it all up..." For a moment Entrapta had a sorrowful mien before pulling herself together. "I'm normally hard to read for people, but that doesn't mean that my emotions aren't there. When we were working in your lab; when you were taken by Horde Prime, I believe-no- I know you had these feelings inside you, you've just finally begun to notice them."_   
  
_As Hordak absorbed Entrapta's words, he had realized she was right. When they started working together, Hordak had caught a glimpse of a better life; even Horde Prime saw into the depths of his mind and knew that deep down he dreaded his brother's return. Having been brought back under his brother's command, he felt empty; lost; regretted the actions that had led to his fate. But one thing still haunted Hordak._   
  
_"How... How am I going to right my wrongs? How can I possibly redeem myself after all I've done?" Hordak asked Entrapta. Hordak hadn't a clue of what to do. Should he imprison himself? It would be no different from the solitude of his sanctum. Should he tend to the wounded? The Heart of Etheria had already healed them. Everything Hordak could think of were either impossible, inconsequential or already healed by the Heart of Etheria's destruction. Hordak dug his claws deep into the ground, slowly tearing through the soil as he tried to figure out what he needed to do._   
  
_"I don't know Hordak," Entrapta said, however despite her answer she had a bright smile on her face. "But we will figure this out together, I promise!" Entrapta's smile, even when facing this epiphany Entrapta's energy always alleviated the worries of the world for Hordak._   
  
_The silence between the two was interrupted by the sound of sobbing, Entrapta and Hordak turned their heads to see Frost was the source of the noise._   
  
_"W-What? I'm not crying! I-I-" Frosta closed her eyes shut before wrapping her short, ice armored arms around Entrapta and Hordak. Frosta wasn’t sure what took over her, what brought her to hug the man that was technically responsible for her parent's death. What she did know, was that it felt cathartic. All of her anger and sorrow was pouring out. Witnessing Hordak's guilt; seeing that he wanted to change. It would take a lot of time, but maybe forgiveness was more possible than she thought._   
  


* * *

  
  
Hordak was fast asleep, dreaming of a memory where he found his new path. Then the sound of snoring forced his crimson eyes to open. He looked up to see the ceiling was not made of the metal of Darla that he had become accustomed to, neither was the mattress he laid upon as stiff as the one on the ship. That's right, he was on the planet Tropado; the best friend squad were offered to stay in the village's inn free of charge for saving their village yesterday. He looked outside and saw that the morning sun was out; and as he sat up from his bed, he saw that Entrapta had fallen asleep bent over a desk that she had used as her work bench. Hordak got up and stretched before wincing in pain. Hordak was never a morning person, and his defective body didn't help at all. Hordak quietly put his armor on, though he chose to not attach his canons for comfort's sake. Hordak walked over to Entrapta, without making a sound he bent over her and noticed that her head was next to some dangerous parts of the contraption she was making; so Hordak carefully moved her head away from her invention so she wouldn't harm herself. Hordak gazed upon what Entrapta was working on. It was a mechanical arm that seemed to be a combination of Horde Prime's tech as well as mechanisms of Entrapta's own design; it is part of his new exoskeleton upgrades that they had been planning to develop. Hordak also looked curiously at another one of Entrapta's work; it seemed like a couple of metal sticks with wires going through them. Hordak smiled, even if he wasn't sure what it was, he knew anything Entrapta made would be nothing short of amazing. Hordak turned and walked towards the door, careful not to wake up Emily whom was in sleep mode near the door. Hordak looked down on his chest, carefully he touched and appreciated the magenta crystal that powered his suit; the beautiful message from Entrapta that he would always cherish before exiting the room.  
  
Hordak walked out the inn, successfully remembering to thank the owner at the counter for giving his squad the privilege to stay in the inn free of charge before exiting the building. Hordak decided to take a trip to the markets to buy some supplies for a project he had been wanting to work on for a while. Luckily for Hordak, despite the primitive nature of the village, they seemed to accept the universe wide currency known as "units" that the best friend squad had been earning through their travels. As he strolled through the village many of the villagers gave their thanks while children stared at him in awe. A little axolotl girl was running through the street with a stuffed doll that had bumped into Hordak and dropped said doll; if it wasn't for the girl's grunt of pain Hordak wouldn't have noticed she'd bumped into him. The little looked up Horda's armored legs and body until she met his eyes. His crimson eyes and fangs; his dark armor and pointed ears gave the little girl similar fear to the scary stories her parents would tell her during feasts. Leaving her doll behind she ran back to an axolotl man that was likely her father. Unlike the girl the man seemed to nonchalantly chuckle as he scooped his daughter into his arms.  
  
"Now now Axa, there's no need to be scared, this man is one of the heroes who saved our village," he said.   
  
"Really daddy?" Axa said with childish surprise, when she looked back to Hordak, she now seemed a little more amazed than scared.  
  
"My apologies, I didn't mean to scare her," Hordak said as he picked up the doll and gave it back to Axa's father. Hordak noticed that the doll was looked similar to She-Ra, whomever made it must have remarkable skill to make it in such a short time.  
  
"It's fine, she gets more scared by our neighbor if it makes you feel any better." the Axolotl man said as he gave his daughter her doll. "Honestly though, I am eternally grateful for you and your friends saving us, actually you were the one shooting those red projectiles right?" The man asked.  
  
"Those would have been from my canons." Hordak answered.  
  
"My wife told me that a red laser saved her from getting crush by some debris, if that was yours, then I have you to thank for saving her," the Axolotl man said. "Though speaking of my wife, I have to head back home for breakfast, I'll be sure to let her know you saved me." The man gave his farewells before parting ways with Hordak. Hordak was about to return to his errands but stopped once he heard the girl speak.  
  
"Daddy, do you think you can make me a doll of that man?" Axa asked, as she gazed towards Hordak with a newfound idolization.  
  
"Of course sweety, I'll have it ready before your bedtime."  
  
Hordak felt a strange warmth in his chest, to think a child would want a doll of him? It seemed completely ridiculous, but it felt nice that someone would view him as worthy enough to make a doll out of. It felt nice that his actions made someone feel safe. Back on Etheria everyone kept themselves wary of him whenever he strolled through the halls of Brightmoon or the market to buy Entrapta supplies for their projects. It was completely justified of course; he did rage war with the Etherian's for decades after all. However, the villagers barely knew anything of him or his past, all they saw was a man who helped save them from the clutches of a rampaging monster. With every express of gratitude given to him, Hordak felt his path further solidify, and his drive to correct his transgressions fueled more than before.  
  
After some more walking and asking the locals for directions, Hordak finally found the market. Despite how early it was the market appeared to be filled with locals and travelers from other settlements. Hordak felt claustrophobic as he traversed the market, almost preferring the space given to him in Etheria from people avoiding him... almost. The market stalls sold various items like local cuisine; charms; artwork; flower, but finally Hordak had come across a stall that caught him by complete surprise.  
  
Hordak found himself stopping in front of a stall with various technological devices and parts that were nothing like the village would suggest.  
  
"Anything I may help you with?" A man behind the stall asked. He was a grey skinned man with a beak and 8 long octopus tentacles protruding from his back acting as limbs like Entrapta's hair.  
  
"Yes, where did you acquire all of these?" Hordak asked as he scanned all the parts. He had expected maybe some parts from Horde Prime's forces being salvaged and resold, but these parts were all gold and blue.  
  
"Ah, right, you aren't from here," The octopus man said as he used his limbs to assemble and organize some of the devices to put up for sale. "Despite what this village may make you think, Tropado isn't all technologically impaired. Before Horde Prime invaded some cities both on land and below water we were making trade with other planets. Specifically, we were learning about how to develop technologies from the Atlantians from planet Olympia, but then Horde Prime showed up and crushed all hopes of progress." The man finished twisting the screws of an advanced hunting crossbow tightly before turning around. "Hey Karak, can you fetch me some of the large bolts over there?"  
  
"Of course sir," Hordak was surprised to see one of his "brothers" appear and give the octopus man two large screws. This Horde clone retained the typical attire that Horde Prime's little brothers were assigned to wear, however his eyes emitted a blue glow instead of green.  
  
"However, now with Horde Prime gone we can hopefully open up trade again between all kinds of planets! And I have some extra helping hands in the process," The man said. Hordak briefly looked past to see that the clone didn't seem to be particularly savvy with the technology he was working with; yet he seemed quite happy to tinker with the devices and converse with the customers that stopped by. Hordak had conflicting feelings, he was happy to see his fellow brothers free from Horde Prime's grip, but he also envied their innocent souls.  
  
"Wow! Glimmer look at this tech!" Hordak leaned over to see that Bow and Glimmer were standing on the other side of the stall next to his.  
  
"We should probably bring Entrapta here later, she'd love this stuff," Glimmer said as she looked at a row of shiny crystals of varying colors.  
  
As Glimmer's attention was caught by the crystals Bow's attention was caught by what seemed like a light bulb in the shape of a cone. Bow took it in his hand and scanned it, his fingers finding what felt like a switch. The octopus man saw Bow with the device in his hands, his eyes widened when he noticed where his fingers were.  
  
"Wait don't-" Before the octopus man could warn Bow the light bulb device shown incredibly bright; blinding Bow, Glimmer, and Karak; Hordak had luckily covered his eyes in time.  
  
"Ah! My eyes!" Bow exclaimed, he was in such great pained he ended up dropping the device, which was luckily durable enough to not break upon falling back on the stall's table.  
  
The octopus man shielded his eyes in time and used his tentacles to turn the device off.  
  
"Excuse me but did you not read the sign!?" Karak exclaimed as he pointed to the opposite direction of the sign, almost smacking the stall owner.  
  
Bow looked at the sign in question, his vision was blurred and he was seeing double of every foreign letter. "I-I can't read anything right now," Bow said in pain.  
  
"Apologies, that one's on me. The sign says to ask for my assistance before touching any of the devices, but it was in our language," The stall owner said, noting that he would need to make alternate signs that were in the universal language.  
  
"Oooow... I'll take your entire stock!" Bow exclaimed as he tried to smoothly lean on the counter, but instead leaned on air and fell right on the ground. As Glimmer helped Bow up on his feet their vision seemed to have restored; the two then turned around to have their vision suddenly obscured by the black void of Hordak's exoskeleton.  
  
"AH!" Bow and Glimmer exclaim, surprised by Hordak's sudden appearance.  
  
"Hordak? How... long have you been standing there?" Glimmer asked.  
  
"Since you almost blinded me," Hordak said, sounding more menacing than he had intended.  
  
"Oh, right, sorry about that," Bow said before realizing that according to what Hordak said, he must have been at the stand before him. "So... are you into tech too?" Bow asked, smiling as he picked up a strange device that looked like a small scepter with a big; thin ring on the top that was concentrated a floating orb of water.  
  
"All of us clones were born with at least a basic understanding of technology, and when I was sent to Etheria I went beyond that in Horde Prime's name," Hordak said in a serious tone. However, his serious mien softened as he let out his hand, prompting Bow to give him the scepter. Hordak began to softly sway the scepter around, creating bubbles that reflected the sun's light. "However, once I met Entrapta, I'd begun to value technological enhancement as something perhaps _more_ than my duty to Horde Prime's Regime." When Hordak finished speaking, he noticed that Glimmer seemed to be smiling while Bow gave a look of awe like how Entrapta would act whenever encountering new technology.  
  
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Hordak asked with a confused mien.  
  
"You were smiling!" Bow said, just like with Catra he couldn't but feel proud of those around him opening up to happiness.  
  
"Is that unusual?" Hordak didn't comprehend what the significance of him smiling was. It was just an expression... right?  
  
"Yeah, you don't really smile a lot, except with Entrapta," Glimmer answered as she took a step forward and scrutinized Hordak; she could have sworn she noticed a hint of crimson appear on his cheeks. "You really care about Entrapta a lot, don't you?" Glimmer said with a soft smile.  
  
"Yes, in fact she is the reason I am here," Hordak said as he turned to the various technological devices and parts on the stall's table. Hordak had an idea of what he wanted to do, but there was something missing, there was always something missing. Hordak realized that he could use some assistance, but normally Entrapta was the source of that assistance, and he wanted this to be a surprise. He turned to Bow and Glimmer; they were well acquainted with Entrapta and they could potentially provide some helpful input. However, how should he request their help? The Horde tried to kill them countless time and he had laid multiple sieges to Bright Moon, he couldn't just walk up and ask them... could he?  
  
"Actually..." Hordak spoke, turning to Bow and Glimmer. The two of them waited for him to continue, but something about the situation felt so... what was the word he was looking for? Awkward... the situation was awkward. In the end Hordak mustered up the resolve to speak of his proposal. "Would you two mind assisting me in my errand?"  
  
"Of course not!" Bow said.  
  
"What do you need?" Glimmer said.  
  
Hordak stared at the two of them, taken aback by their immediate response. "Wait? You're both willing to help me so readily?"  
  
"Yeah, why not? We're the best friend squad!" Bow exclaimed with pride in his team.  
  
Hordak scrutinized the two of them and his eyes narrowed towards Glimmer. It was then that his eyes widened in more confusion as months old memory resurfaced. "Wait.... didn't I try to murder you with a club?" Hordak asked Glimmer.   
  
Glimmer widened her eyes with bafflement. "You forgot!?" Glimmer asked with surprise; she was never going to forget the first day she had met Horde Prime.  
  
"In my defense I've only met you twice before my brother subdued my memory," Hordak said before his face ever so slightly perked up upon further though. "In fact, I don't think I've ever formally met any of you much less fought..."  
  
"Wait no-no-no I was the leader of the rebellion we must have... oh, wow we've really never fought," Glimmer said as she begun to have a major epiphany, none of the princesses had ever fought Hordak. Glimmer then turned her head to Bow. "I mean technically you shot Hordak in the back."  
  
"I don't think that counts as meeting nor fighting," Bow replied with a raised brow.  
  
" _That was you?_ " Hordak said with a tempered growl as he recalled an excruciating pain in his back before he was beamed into Horde Prime's ship.  
  
"Wait-um-what about Adora?" Bow asked with a nervous chuckle that he hoped would reel the subject back in. "When she was kidnapped before the weird portal reality happened?"  
  
Hordak seemed to growl a little louder; clenching his fists as he was reminded of the moment when Catra had lied to him of Entrapta's "betrayal". Bow seemed to double back a bit more from Hordak's agitated aura, reminding the clone that he needed their assistance, not their fear. Hordak quickly regained most of his composure before answering Bow. "Indeed we met, however, we never clashed arms before."  
  
"Wow, that is really weird," Glimmer said as she continued to soak in that information.  
  
"May we return to the subject of my errand now?" Hordak asked with slight irritation.  
  
"Oh, yeah of course, what do you need?" Glimmer asked.  
  
Hordak lifted his hand up to his chest and gently caressed the purple gem that powered his suit. "Do you know what this is?"  
  
"Yeah, that's First Ones tech, it powers your suit right?" Bow answered.  
  
"Indeed, but it is much more than that; it is something you could call... sentimental," Hordak said; struggling to let himself be vulnerable with those whom weren't Entrapta.  
  
Bow focused his eyes on the gem in question; noticing that there was First Ones writing on the gem. Bow's First One deciphering had been rusty as of late, but he was able to make out the four letters. The letters didn't make an actual word nor any acronym, but when he sounded it out in his head he couldn't help but feel a rush of joy for Hordak.  
  
"Aww; you want to make something for her too," Bow said as his face and eyes sparkled.  
  
"That's so sweet," Glimmer said with the same expression on her face.  
  
" _Stop_ looking at me like that..." Hordak said; though his protest fell on deaf ears as Bow and Glimmer walked up and side hugged him; making Hordak half flustered and a little more than half irritated  
  
"Tell us what you need bud!" Bow said gleefully. Hordak growled while he stood frozen with his arms up and away from the two people currently in his space. Bow and Glimmer perked up when they heard the growling; Bow immediately hopping away while Glimmer simply teleported.  
  
"Right, personal space," Glimmer said with less nervous smile than before.  
  
Hordak gave a small groan while dragging both claws down his face before recomposing himself. "I already have my gift for Entrapta constructed, however I feel it needs an extra touch. So far I haven't been able to think of any special aesthetics that don't include weaponizing it further."  
  
 _"I don't know if I should be more concerned with Hordak weaponizing a gift or the fact that he considers it an aesthetic,"_ Glimmer thought while Bow scanned the technological devices on the stall.  
  
"So, what did you make for her? A bracelet? A fancy necklace?" Glimmer asked Hordak.  
  
"Are you so foolish as to think I would gift her something so impractical and useless?" Hordak said irritably. Seeing Glimmer raise her brow Hordak's irritation turned to remorse. "Oh... apologies still getting used to not having to defend my authority..."  
  
"It's alright, even I'm still working on things," Glimmer said. Hordak was left a little confused, what did someone from the side of light have to change for?  
  
As Bow was looking among the equipment he noticed that there was a small light hitting the table coming from a source that wasn't any of the other devices. Bow looked up at the top of the stall and noticed the tent had a holographic sign.  
  
"I got it!" Bow exclaimed, catching the attention of Hordak and Glimmer. Hordak walked up to Bow as he conversed with the Karak.  
  
"What did you find?" Hordak asked as Karak put a some devices and part on the table.  
  
"Watch, you can definitely make a lot of stuff with this," Bow said as he put pressed the button on a device that looked like a coaster.  
  
The device lit up to life and projected a simple orb on it. It was nothing special, simply a hologram of a moon, but the tech itself gave Hordak a brilliant idea.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Where is it! C'moooooon..." Entrapta said as she was searching every nook and cranny of Darla. "Emily have you seen my six-sided hexdriver? Or... _any_ of my hexdrivers?" Entrapta asked; Emily gave a disappointing bleep that meant she hadn't. As Entrapta continued the search Glimmer teleported inside the ship.  
  
"Hey Entrapta, do you have a moment?" Glimmer asked before nearly dodging Emily crawling from room to room.  
  
"Not right now, I'm trying to find my hexdrivers. Actually, I think my drill is missing too!" Entrapta said as she paced back and forth throughout the hall. For a while her tools had been vanishing from thin air, she had been borrowing tools from kind innkeepers, but now that she had to prepare for another departure she didn't want to postpone any of her projects.  
  
"Well, actually Hordak wants to see you," Glimmer said, immediately catching Entrapta's interest.  
  
"Oh... Hordak needs me?" Entrapta said as she put a hand up to her chin. "Weeeell, I really need to find my tools...but..." Entrapta's pondering mien shifted into a smile as she made up her mind. "Alright, I guess my tool finding could wait. C'mon Emily," Entrapta said. Emily bleeped in confusion, surprised that Entrapta would put a tech-based task on hold. "Where is he?" Entrapta asked.  
  
"Right outside," Glimmer said as Entrapta rode atop Emily to head outside the ship; almost running into Bow. Glimmer looked onward with a knowing smile as Bow stood beside her with a similar expression.  
  
"You're gonna spy on them aren't you," Bow said to Glimmer.   
  
"And you're coming with me," Glimmer grinned as she placed a hand on Bow's chest and the two of them dissipated into sparkling dust.  
  
The two of them appeared on the beach right behind a rock near where Darla was parked. Glimmer and Bow peeked past the rock to see Hordak awaiting at shore; the sunset touching the ocean along the horizon. They both ducked behind the rock when Hordak turned to their direction.  
  
"Hordak!" Hordak turned to the side and saw Emily carrying Entrapta over to him. "You wanted to see me?" Entrapta asked as she hopped off Emily and stood on the wet sand below.  
  
"Indeed. I believe you noticed that some of your tools had been missing?" Hordak asked with a devious smile.  
  
"You found them!?" Entrapta exclaimed as she circled around Hordak. "Where are they, I've been searching for them the entire month!"  
  
Hordak laughed before presenting Entrapta with a device that looked like Entrapta's six sided hexdriver. "My hexdriver!" Entrapta exclaimed as she was given the hexdriver.  
  
As Entrapta looked at the hexdriver, she immediately noticed that it looked different. The handle was much bulkier and there appeared to be a series of buttons along the side. Entrapta pressed one of the buttons and gasped in amazement as the six-sided hexdriver turned into a flat head; then a drill; and then a stun baton. "Wooooow..." Entrapta said, her eyes sparkling as she swung the stun baton around. Entrapta noticed that there was one button bigger than the rest; after pushing it a compartment opened up from the side that looked like the grip of a gun. Holding the grip, the rest of the hexdriver opened up into parts; transforming into a gun with a design akin to the Horde's stun baton guns. Entrapta turned and aimed at the horizon over the ocean, green electricity surged through the device before Entrapta pulled the trigger and fired an electric bolt.   
  
"I take it is to your liking?" Hordak asked as Entrapta's wild smile filled him with a sense of pride.  
  
"To my liking!? I LOVE IT!" Entrapta exclaimed as she tightly leapt against and hugged Hordak. Hordak hugged Entrapta back, despite being the larger of the two Hordak couldn't help but feel a soothing warmth every time Entrapta embraced him. He honestly didn't want to let go, but there was one particular function of his gift that he wanted to show her.  
  
"Before we return to the ship, there is one particular function I would like for you to see," Hordak said as he broke the hug and pointed toward a small button on the left side of the handle. Entrapta pressed the button and the device turned back to its original form, but instead of a screw a big hologram projected from the device.  
  
Entrapta stood silent as she absorbed the contents of the hologram; it was the same message as written on Hordak's power gem, but translated.  
  
"LUVD..." Entrapta said. Warmth overwhelmed Entrapta as she read the message over and over.  
  
"Do you not like it? Did I do something wrong?" Hordak asked, with a worried mien.  
  
"Wrong, there's nothing wrong," Entrapta said with a smile as she turned back to Hordak.  
  
"Then... why are you crying?" Hordak asked. Entrapta was taken aback by what Hordak said until she finally noticed that tears had been running down her cheeks.  
  
"Oh, I hadn't noticed," Entrapta said as she began to smile again. "Don't worry, these are happy tears; _very_ happy tears."  
  
Entrapta and Hordak continued to gaze towards each other on the shore; they should be getting back to the ship, but they felt like they needed to do something before that. Emily nudged Entrapta closer to the him, clearly the bot was trying to tell her something. Entrapta glanced over at Hordak's power gem, and suddenly felt the urge to do something bold. Entrapta lifted herself up with her hair until she was a mere inch away from Hordak's face. Hordak simply awaited with a curious expression, feeling a warmth rise in his cheeks from the short distance between him and Entrapta. Entrapta closed that distance and gave Hordak a quick kiss that lasted two seconds.  
  
"S-Sorry..." Entrapta said with an embarrassed smile as she descended back onto the sand. Hordak appeared to have retained the same mien as before, though deep down he felt a mix of confusion and joy.  
  
"You have nothing to apologize for, but... what did you do exactly?" Hordak asked, feeling the same awkward joy as Entrapta was.  
  
"I kissed you silly," Entrapta said with a giggle. "You don't know what that is do you?" Entrapta said. With a nod Hordak confirmed that he had no idea what kissing was. "It's alright, how about we get back to the ship? Tech won't develop itself after all," Entrapta said as her face continued to blush. Entrapta held Hordak's hand as they returned to the ship; meanwhile Glimmer was left slack-jawed behind the rock she and Bow were using to hide.  
  
"Wow... I thought there was something brewing there, but I didn't expect it to escalate _that_ fast," Glimmer said as she turned to bow, whose face was similar to when he first heard Catra's sneeze.  
  
"Those two are so adorable!" Bow said as he tried to contain his joy.  
  
"Yeah, they honestly really are," Glimmer smiled, before her eyes widened as she realized what she had just said. "Did we just call Hordak adorable...?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those whom may have been confused by the beginning, I was referencing the deleted scene of Entrapta talking to Hordak before Horde Prime took over his body.
> 
> This chapter was a blast to right, and I didn't expect to go as far as I did with the flashback. I felt since it had been a short while since the BFS had been traveling through space, it would be fitting to dedicate a chapter to Hordak and his progression from the end of the show to where he is now.
> 
> I love the dynamic between him and Entrapta, I always love writing the romance between these two.
> 
> For those wondering where Catra and Adora were, stay tuned for next chapter :)


	3. Hunted

Catra sat on the edge of a cliff not too far from Darla as Melog curled up beside her. Catra had taken Melog out for a walk through the forest; when she came across this cliff with a breathtaking view of an ocean sunset, she and Melog decided it would be a good place to take a brief rest.   
  
_"Are you going to confront her about it?"_ Melog asked as Catra petted their mane.  
  
"I don't know, maybe when we're out in space, I'll probably feel better by then," Catra said with a solemn mien.  
  
 _"Catra,"_ Melog spoke before sitting up to meet Catra's eyes. _"You can't avoid your own feelings; they will only grow stronger."  
  
_ Catra contemplated for a moment before her ears folded in defeat. Catra softly embraced Melog, feeling comfort as she and security as she caressed his mane. "I know... but Adora and I already fought enough during the war," Catra said as she tightened her embrace around Melog. Whenever Catra was reminded of when she was alone; relentlessly harmed the people she loved, hugging Melog helped ease the pain those memories caused.  
  
 _"You're not fighting, you just need to talk,"_ Melog said.  
  
Catra broke her embrace, giving Melog a soft smile before ruffling the side of their head. "Y-You're right, we'll just be talking..." Catra still had doubt; she was still afraid; she still wasn't sure of herself.  
  
"Catra!?" Catra turned behind her to see Adora jogging towards her, slightly out of breath with a hint of a sweat breaking on her forehead.  
  
"Hey... Adora?" Catra said with a confused; yet amused expression. Catra stood up and chuckled as she put a hand on Adora's shoulder. "You look like you ran a mile, missed me that much?" Catra said with a mischievous smirk.  
  
"Hang on a second aren't I supposed to be the one teasing you?" Adora asked with a teasing smile.  
  
"I tease you all the time though," Catra said as she tickled Adora's cheek with her tail.  
  
Adora giggled as she playfully smacked away Catra's tail. "Okay you do, but you tease me in a whole "Oh, look at how dumb and angry you are Adora" kinda way; I do more of the "How about you admit you like me already?" kind of teasing."  
  
"For the last time I _don't_ like you," Catra said, laughing as she pushed Adora's shoulder hard. Both girls continued to giggle for a couple seconds, the giggling dying down when Catra cupped one of her girlfriend's cheeks. Catra hated the water, but she would be more than happy to dive in the ocean that was Adora's blue eyes. Catra pulled Adora closer into a deep; passionate kiss, the orange sky above turning purple as night began to arrive. "I loveyou..."

"I love you too..."  
  
"Alright, seriously though why did you run all the way here?" Catra asked as she wiped a drop of sweat from Adora's forehead with her thumb.  
  
"Sorry, it was getting late and considering what happened the last time we were alone in the forest... I got worried," Adora said with a slight blush as she held Catra's hand...  
  
Catra looked up and noticed the violet sky above. "Wow, it is getting late, guess we should head back to the ship then," Catra said before putting on a wide smirk. "Bet I can get back before you!" Catra said as she proceeded to run, only suddenly be yanked back in her tracks. She turned and saw Adora hadn't let go of her hand, in fact it seemed it felt like the blonde tightened her grip a little.  
  
"Wait, Catra can we talk?" Adora asked with a worried mien. "You said you would open up about what was bothering you, but we never got around to talking about it."  
  
Catra's ears slightly descended as she tried to find a way to dodge the question. "It's fine, it was stupid anyway I-"  
  
"Catra..." Adora spoke as she softly held Catra's hand with both her own. "Your problems aren't stupid. If something is bothering you; if I did something wrong, please tell me."  
  
Hearing her girlfriend's plea; seeing how concerned the blonde was for her well-being. Catra wondered what she did to deserve such an amazing girl as the love of her life. Those concerned, yet determined blue eyes were always ready to care for Catra; to love Catra; even lay down her life for Catra at the drop of a hat. Then again... that was the problem.  
  
"Adora, when we were fighting that eel monster... I thought you were going to die. When you kept holding on to that thing; when it kept electrocuting you, I thought you were going to drop dead in front of me," Catra said as she tried to hold back her tears. 

"Catra-I'm sorry, but there really wasn't anything else I could do," Adora said with an apologetic mien; putting with her hands on Catra's shoulders. "Those villagers were in danger; I couldn't just let them become grilled fish food by that thing, right?" Adora said with a confidant chuckle.  
  
Catra looked as though she wanted to rebuttal, but instead felt a sting of guilt in her chest. If it meant Adora was going to lose her life; if it meant living the rest of her undeserved life without her lover; Catra would either choose Adora over the entire universe or die alongside her. Catra placed her forehead against Adora; taking a deep breath before conceding. "Alright, but please promise me you'll try to be more careful."  
  
Adora looked up to Catra and gave a smile that didn't reach her own eyes before wiping away her tears and placing a kiss on Catra's forehead.  
  
 _"you didn't promise..."_ Catra thought to herself.  
  
Adora held Catras hand as they made their way back to the ship. Catra thought about whether she should press the matter. The cat-girl understood that being heroic and selfless was simply part of who Adora was; it was one of the many reasons she loved her, but she was afraid that someday it was going to get to get her kil-  
  
"What was that!?" Catra said as she snapped her head to the forest. Her ears were shot up, picking up irregular rustling from the bushes and trees in front of her. Melog felt Catra's defensiveness, their main turning into an agitated red as Catra became ever more sure someone was watching them.  
  
"Catra, I don't see anything," Adora said as she looked around.  
  
"Adora I _hear_ something and before you say it, no it isn't some lizard," Catra said. She could hear it, the way the movement halted and shifted ever so slightly back when it was called out. Someone was watching them, even Adora began to feel someone's presence as she scanned the forest.  
  
In the darkness two pairs of eyes shown themselves, followed by Catra and Adora narrowly dodging two yellow lasers. As they dodged two bolas were thrown from the bushes, successfully predicting the girls' movements as the bolas wrapped around their upper bodies; binding their arms.  
  
When Catra and Adora fell on the ground, Melog turned themselves invisible as two figures exited the bushes.  
  
"Aw, the cute kitty ran off," Said the first figure with a strong southern accent. She was a dog-woman; a blood hound whose canine features were very similar to Catra's cat features. Her hair was pitch black and her eyes a deep crimson. The woman wore crimson colored cowboy attire fit with a cowboy hat; boots with the spiked well on the back ankle, and a poncho with black paw print patterns and black wave patterns akin to common visualizations of smells and scents.  
  
"One less obstacle in the way of our coin," The second figure said with a deep voice. He was a muscular; hunchbacked goblin-like man with dark green skin; yellow eyes and long pointed ears. He had on a metal mask that only covered his mouth as well as a brown leather jacket and leather pants. His leather hooded jacket was open, exposing the armor plating that shielded his chest and torso. In both his hands were hand axes with massive blades that emitted a ghostly green aura.  
  
"Howdy ladies," The bloodhound cooed as she spun her laser powered revolvers; her voice emitting a heavy southern accent. "My friend and I were looking around to ask for directions, but it seems we've already found our destination." The cowgirl squatted next to Adora, staring her in the eyes.  
  
"Who are you, why are you here!?" Adora asked with a battle-hardened expression. The bloodhound snickered mischievously before answering.  
  
"Hooh boy I've gone through so many aliases and A.K.As that I gosh darn forgot the name my mama gave me, but those aware of my services call me _the Blood Hound_ . As for my partner here, his name is..." Blood Hound's mien seemed to freeze in place as Adora and Catra waited in silence, quickly passing each other confused glances. "Hold on give me a minute... Gengar!" She exclaimed excitedly.  
  
The goblin man gave an annoyed; tired sigh. "For the last time my name is Babkrawl..."  
  
"I was close this time!" Blood Hound exclaimed while excitedly wagging her tail.  
  
"You weren't," Babkrawl replied, before he says anything else Catra began to have a laughing fit.  
  
"Babkrawl!? What, you have a diaper under those pants?" Catra sarcastically asked, trying her best to contain her laughter.  
  
"To be honest I think I prefer Gengar," Adora said with an amused smile.  
  
"It has only been forty seconds and I already want to skin the both of you," Babkrawl said as twirled his hand ax.  
  
"And turn us into bibs?" Catra said as she began to laugh louder, only for the tone to dramatically shift when Babkrawl stomped towards Catra and slammed his ax mere centimetres from her head, the blade having dug deep into the solid ground.  
  
"Yeah you'd be wise to not make this boy angry," Blood Hound stated as she adjusted her hat that recoiled from the blow. "And to answer why we're here, the both of us are just regular o'l bounty hunters looking for fortune," she answered before leaning forward and sticking her nose in Adora's hair to give it a long sniff. "And we've just discovered the jack of all pots... _She-Ra._ "  
  
"You're from Etheria," Catra said, grunting as she tried to use her claws to cut out of the bola's bind, but the way her arms were bound made the task impossible.  
  
"Etheria?" The goblin man asked as he turned to his fellow bounty hunter.  
  
"I don't know what the locals of your planet look like, but I'm from the wild wasteland planet of Texabageorvarida! And my pal here is from-"  
  
"Gobatos," Babkrawl said; cutting off Blood Hound.  
  
"Oh c'mon that was gonna be my tenth guess!" Blood Hound said with an angered pout.  
  
"......I'm going to kill you once we finish this job," He said with deadpanned eyes. Blood Hound laughed it off, thinking it was a joke.... it wasn't a joke.  
  
"If you aren't Etherian, then how do you know about She-Ra?" Adora asked as her eyes widened in surprise.  
  
"Word of Horde Prime's demise has been spreading throughout the cosmos. Not a soul has managed to find those responsible for the bastard's death, all the universe knew was of a bounty for the... what was it again? Ah, right... the Best Friend Squad."  
  
Catra and Adora were left in utter shock.

"That's impossible... how could anyone..." Amidst her confusion, Adora had a haunting realization. If people were after the Best Friend Squad, then that meant... "If you dare hurt my friends!" Adora said as anger began to boil within.  
  
"Yer buddies are here too?" Blood Hound asked with a curious smile. Adora quickly realized her mistake, wishing she could take her words back. "Ha! Don't worry, I'm not gonna bother with your friends. Too risky." Blood Hound proceeded to lift Adora on her feet before pressing the barrel of the energy revolver against her hip.  
  
"What should we do with the feline? She isn't on the bounty," Babkrawl asked as he held Catra up onto her feet.  
  
"Strange..." Blood Hound shoved her revolver deeper into Adora's hip, signaling the blonde to walk forward. Blood Hound sauntered up to Catra, leaning in close to sniff her; the cat girl holding back the urge to headbutt Blood Hound for invading her personal space. "Her sent seems familiar..." Blood Hound hummed as she tried her hardest to remember where she had smelt this sent before. "Gosh darn it no bells are being rung."  
  
"They never do for you," Babkrawl said as he adjusted the hood of his jacket, the bright sun of Tropado beginning to strain his eyes. Blood Hound gave him an angered pout before returning her gaze to Catra.  
  
"Well I say we take'er. If she's with the squad we might get a little bonus," Blood Hound said.  
  
"I like the sound of bonuses," Babkrawl said with a creepy snicker as he held the blade of one of his axes up Catra's chin. "Don't try any tricks kitten, unless you wish to be taken dead instead of alive."  
  
Catra responded with a bold smirk, quickly glancing between Babkrawl and Blood Hound; then she stared at Adora, giving her a signal by shifting her focus between the blonde and the dog. "Yeah, I've noticed it’s been about three minutes already and you haven't killed us yet. You need us alive, don't you?"  
  
Babkrawl snorted before pointing his free ax towards Adora. "We need She-Ra alive, you a-AAUGH!" Before Babkrawl could could finish, Melog had materialized behind him and bit Babkrawl's ankle with their sharp teeth. Catra the round house kicked Babkrawl in the face, scratching his cheek as he fell to the side.  
  
"What in tarnation!?" Blood Hound exclaimed. She didn't smell any scents other than those present, even when Melog materialized Blood Hound couldn't smell anything from them. Blood Hound aimed her remaining revolver at Catra and Melog, but before she could fire Adora stomped on her foot before quickly using the same foot to kick her in the stomach; knocking her on the ground.  
  
"For the honor of Gray Skull!" Adora called out, breaking the bola's bindings as she turned into She-Ra.  
  
"My eyes!" Babkrawl exclaimed, his eyes seeming to a weakness to the flash of She-Ra's transformation.  
  
She-Ra marched towards Blood Hound, summoning her sword to block the lasers shot by her revolvers with one hand. Once She-Ra closed the distance she grabbed onto the dog-girl by the biceps; keeping her in place. "Can you swim?" Adora said with a serious mien.  
  
"Umm... there was this one time I was chased by Pirahcodi-AAAAAHHH!" She-Ra threw Blood Hound off the cliff-side. As Blood Hound was falling down, she put on a mischievous smirk as her the chambers in both of her revolvers began to spin extremely fast; glowing a bright yellow while electricity crackled. Blood Hound aimed one of her revolvers to the ocean below, firing a shot so strong that the recoil bounced Blood hound all the way back up the cliff. Her ascent slowed down as soon as she reached the ledge; she placed her foot on the ledge at just the right time that it looked as if she floated up and continued the momentum by walking with confidence.  
  
"Where the hell did they go!?" Babkrawl exclaimed as he readied his axes. Their targets were nowhere to be scene; it was like they had just vanished into thin air. "They must be in the forest."  
  
"I wouldn't be sure about that," Blood Hound said before Babkrawl could enter the forest. She took a whiff of the air, smelling the scent of her prey not from the forest, but further along the cliff. "Bingo," Blood Hound smiled as she aimed her other charging revolver towards the forest, firing another powerful shot. The laser had struck at something invisible, quickly Adora and Catra materialized while Melog fell and landed on their side. The blonde fell to the ground with a cauterized hold in her leg.  
  
"Ah!" Adora exclaimed in pain as she clutched her leg.  
  
"Adora!" Catra yelled, kneeling by Adora's side.  
  
Babkrawl chuckled as he flipped his hand ax before chucking it towards the faraway targets. Adora quickly summoned a giant shield just before the ax could hit them. While She-Ra's shield continued to block Blood Hound's lasers her wound began to heal; the hole closing without a single scar.  
  
"I'm okay," Adora said with a pained smile, hoping to ease her girlfriend's worries. "Melog, can you turn us invisible again?" Adora asked.  
  
Melog walked up to Catra, looking exhausted as they made noises the blonde couldn't understand. "Don't worry, head back to the ship and alert the others; we got this," Catra said as she briefly petted Melog.  
  
"What did they say? I don't speak ghost cat..." Adora asked with an awkward smile.  
  
"Whenever Melog is forced out of their invisible state they become exhausted and can't do it again for a while. That gunshot hurt him as much as it did you," Catra answered.  
  
"Aw, poor thing. Sorry I can only heal physical wounds," Adora said. Melog replied with something that Adora assumed was an "It's alright" before retreating to find the rest of the squad. Adora and Catra stood up, the feline could hear the enemy's footsteps draw near.  
  
Babkraw slammed both axes against the shield; failing to make even a scratch. Holding his hunched pose Blood Hound ran up his back and flipped over both the shield and her targets. In midair she took a shot at Catra; forcing the feline to dodge. Adora got rid of the shield and summoned her sword to deflect Blood Hound's barrage of laser shots.  
  
Catra was about to make a move on Blood Hound, but in a split second flipped back to dodge a vertical strike from Babkrawl. Catra proceeded to dodge a flurry of brutish swings from Babkrawl; finally she ducked under a horizontal swing with a spin and slash of her claws that cut through the goblin-man's armor.  
  
She instantly followed her attack up by hopping and grabbing onto Babkrawl's face; using his jaw and dome like a handle bar to pull herself up and flip onto his shoulders. Then she proceeded to scratch his face, drawing blood from his cheeks and jaw. Quickly Babkrawl dropped one of his axes and caught Catra's wrist, roughly pulling down and slamming Catra against the rocky ground so hard she bounced slightly, in midair the cat-girl was kicked in the ribs and sent flying before rolling on the ground.  
  
"You know, despite the fact my ribs feel like their broken, I still can't take a guy named Babkrawl seriously," Catra said as she chuckled through the pain; getting back up on her feet. "It's honestly hard to believe there is a name out there worse than _Tung Lashor_."  
  
"Silence!" Babkrawl exclaimed as he threw one of his hand axes at Catra, whom casually dodged it be leaning to the side. "Babkrawl is a respectable name from where I was raised you insensitive bitch!"  
  
"Aw your using swears now? Babies grow up fast these days," Catra said, mocking her opponent with a flick of her tail. Babkrawl angrily threw his remaining ax; once again Catra simply smirked as she leaned back so far, the ax blade barely grazed the hairs on her nose. Catra laughed as she saw the ax penetrate the rocky ground and having landed right next to the first ax thrown.   
  
Babkrawl growled before clenching his fists and flexing his biceps. The hand axes he had thrown began to rumble and broke out of the ground before flying back towards Catra. One ax was spinning horizontally towards Catra's neck, and the other spun horizontally towards her stomach. Catra's ears twitched as she heard metal cutting through the air. Suddenly the feline's instincts kicked in and she performed a twisted back flip, safely passing through the gap between axes unharmed. The hand axes found their way deep into Babkrawl's chest, sending the bounty hunter flying before landing hard on his back.  
  
Catra's eyes widened upon seeing the blood that splattered from the impact, and little pieces of her own hair descend like feathers before her eyes. Catra walked over to Babkrawl's body, seeing the damage and blood shed she miraculously avoided. Both axes were plunged deep into his chest, crimson blood stained his armor and surely much more was shed under the protective garments. The cat-girl continued to wonder how she pulled off that stunt on instinct as she curiously and hastily patted every inch of her body, failing to find any deep wounds or lost limbs.  
  
Catra turned away from the seemingly dead man and witnessed Adora fighting Blood Hound. Fury and worry coursed through Catra's veins as she saw Adora taking painful damage from Blood Hound's revolvers. Catra was about to run to her girlfriend's assistance, but the cat-girl felt a murderous grip wrap around her ankles; causing her to trip and fall to the ground. Catra looked back, shocked to see what she had thought was a corpse was actually a very angry Babkrawl out for blood.  
  
Before she had a chance to struggle Babkrawl got up on his feet while dragging Catra against the ground, until finally lifted her up and over himself and slamming Catra against the ground, his wounds making him unable to break any of her bones. Catra's eyes closed as she winced from the great pain in her back. She opened her eyes to see Babkrawl having pulled his axes out of his chest; his arms high in the air and ready to cut Catra in half. Before Babkrawl could land the finishing blow, the pain from pulling out both axes from his chest caused him to fall back; slipping fully into unconsciousness upon landing against the hard ground.   
  
Catra slowly got up, seeing before her the bounty hunter on his back, Catra knew it was the perfect moment to either knock him out or kill him. Before Catra could do either, she heard an agonizing scream from behind; it was _Adora's_ scream. Turning around- just like when she killed the eel-monster- Catra felt all her hairs stick up, and her instincts kick in.  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
While Catra had been fighting Babkrawl Adora was having trouble combating the Blood Hound. The dog-girl kept herself at a close range; outmaneuvering Adora with gun-kata and agility. Blood Hound was managing to get multiple shots off on Adora's legs and shoulders; forcing the blonde to push her healing factor and power through the pain. A couple times Adora managed to punch Blood Hound or throw her back, but the cowgirl would use her revolver's recoil to bounce back and around Adora.  
  
"I heard She-Ra was strong, but no one told me she was as slow as a magma snail!" Blood Hound said as she dodged a downward slash from Adora, which was followed up by a thrust that missed its mark. Adora then began to perform a series of horizontal slashes that Blood Hound dodged with back handsprings. Blood Hound then back-flipped over a sword swipe aimed for her ankles; mid flip Adora swung for Blood Hound, only for the dog-girl to fire her guns towards the ground to launch herself higher.  
  
After dodging the attack Blood Hound shot her gun's recoil to land on the ground faster, then using the recoil again to dodge a blade beam from Adora. Blood Hound charge at Adora while shooting her with both guns; Adora blocked all the shots until she found an opening for another sword swipe. Blood Hound slid under the attack, using her guns recoil to slide faster past Adora before following it up with a barrage of shots that burned into Adora's legs.  
  
With a cry of pain Adora was forced on her knees Blood Hound ran up, turned and knocked Adora on her back by hitting her face with a knee-strike. Blood Hound stomped on Adora's stomach before proceeding to shoot her shoulders in hopes that she would pass out from the pain eventually.  
  
After the fifth shot Blood Hound was knocked to the ground by a devastating scratch across the hip by Catra, knocking the dog-girl to the side. "Adora!" Catra exclaimed as she crouched beside Adora, slipping her arm over the back of Adora's head, and cradling her close. Adora opened her eyes to meet Catra's panicked pair, which looked as though they had witnessed one of many fears come to life. The blonde fought through the pain she was in to put on a comforting, hopeful smile in hopes it would ease her girlfriend's distress.  
  
"Don't worry, I'm o-LOOK OUT!" Adora exclaimed as she summoned her shield; defending herself and Catra from the barrage of laser shots from Blood Hound. The bounty hunter shot with one revolver in full auto mode; the cylinder spinning rapidly and glowing yellow as she used her other hand to hold her bleeding hip which hindered her mobility.  
  
Catra turned her head back to Adora- who's ocean eyes looked as though they had barely escaped a nightmare similar to the feline's moments prior. Adora once again glowed bright as her healing activating; the golden aura of She-Ra's rejuvenating power extending over Catra. Both women found themselves in a trance, scanning the other for any injuries; any distress or worry that needed to be soothed. As they finally recognized the other's safety, they both smiled in sweet relief.  
  
Adora's smile smoothly shifted into a teasing; almost flirtatious smirk. "Hey... doesn't this remind you of our first kiss?" Adora said, remembering how their love saved the universe.  
  
Catra rolled her eyes with a soft smirk. "Oh, shut up," Catra said as she pulled Adora up to her feet. "You really want to kiss while lasers are being shot at us? And here I thought _I_ was supposed to be the irresponsible one."  
  
"Well-I mean, the last time we did it saved the universe," Adora said with a proud smirk as Catra happily cackled at the cheesy, yet true fact. Before Catra could come up with a clever response, she was interrupted by the sounds of an angry; immobile Blood Hound.  
  
"Dammit Babkrawl! Back me up here!" Blood Hound exclaimed as she slowly limped to the side. Thanks to Blood Hound's surprisingly deep injury, she was immobile and unable to quickly maneuver around She-Ra's shield. The bounty hunter's strategy was to force her targets to take cover from her revolver's full-auto barrage; meanwhile Babkrawl could instigate combat long enough for Blood Hound to treat her wounds, but She-Ra and Catra appeared to still be safe behind cover. Blood Hound managed to slowly limp to the side, far enough that she was able to see Babkrawl's unconscious body lying on the ground. As soon as that happened, Blood Hound's energy revolver stopped firing and began to produce empty clicks as the cylinder kept spinning.  
  
"Oh...crap baskets," Blood Hound said as the shield before her dissipated, Adora and Catra quickly sprinted forward to knock out Blood hound with a strong; simultaneous punch to the face.  
  
"How's that for slow?" Adora mocked as she looked over Blood Hound, seeing that she was indeed unconscious.  
  
Catra looked around, she couldn't see nor hear any other threats around them. "Alright, doesn't seem like any other wack-jobs are around let's head back to the ship and tell the others what's going on," Catra said as she chose to walk forward, only for her to yanked back again by Adora. This time instead of being pulled back for a serious talk, she was pulled into a warm; firm hug from Adora. Catra returned the embrace, basking in the hospital warmth of She-Ra's toned muscles; yet gentle hold.   
  
"I wasn't lying about that kiss you know," Adora said as she broke the embrace, but still kept her hand placed on Catra's hips.  
  
"Really? You know we could kiss back at the ship, right? We might have like, only two minutes of privacy, but at least we'll be off this water-filled planet," Catra said, happy that she'll soon be far and away from the aquatic planet.  
  
"Yeah, we _could_ wait for another hour to find privacy in the ship... but I want to kiss you now."  
  
"Oh, so you _want_ to kiss me now?" Catra said with a flirtatious smile. Every time Catra hears Adora talking about what _she_ wants, and taking what _she_ wants- it made the feline so proud of her lover.  
  
Thanks to She-Ra's tall height, Catra had to stand on her toes to reach closer to Adora's mouth. Adora leaned her slightly forward to meat Catra halfway, closing her eyes as their lips were about to lock. When Adora expected to kiss Catra, she was surprised to feel the soft fur from the palm of her girlfriend's hand against her lips. Adora opened her eyes to witness Catra shooting her with that signature mischievious; teasing smirk she knew all too well.  
  
"If you want that kiss so bad, you'll have to _take_ it!" Catra said as she tickled Adora's nose with her tail before breaking free of her embrace.  
  
"No fair!" Adora exclaimed; giggling while she tried to catch Catra into another hug. Catra dodged every one of Adora's attempts to grab her, cackling maniacally as she denied Adora the kiss she hungered for. "What happened to letting myself want things?" Adora asked with an annoyed-yet happy smile.  
  
Catra snickered before answering. "That's only the first step, the next step is to _take_ !"  
  
The two lovers laughed as Adora continued to try and fail to catch Catra, until the feline tripped the blonde onto her knees. When Adora pulled her head up, she felt the firm press of Catra's finger on her forehead. "...Hey Adora..." Catra said as their eyes met once again; both girls expressed soft smiles as they reminisced the past. The good and the bad; their time growing up in the fright zone and their time fighting in the war, so many times they ended up in this exact position.  
  
Adora's smile shifted into a confidant smirk as she quickly pulled Catra into her arms. "Gotcha!" Adora exclaimed; hugging Catra much tighter this time so she wouldn't escape.  
  
"Hey! You're hugging too hard, loosen up!" Catra said as she laughed and cackled.  
  
"And let you slip away again? No chance!" Adora said as she spun around with her girlfriend in her arms. Catra had never told Adora, but she loved it whenever they fooled around while the blonde was in her She-Ra form. Catra used to loathe She-Ra; she hated how she "stole" Adora from her; how she _burdened_ Adora. But this new form? The new outfit, the winged shoes, the way her pauldrons formed a heart above her chest, and the way her new head piece was so like Catra's former one. She wasn't just She-Ra anymore, she was Adora; she was _herself._  
  
"I think I've earned my kiss now; don't you think?" Adora said with a raised, cocky brow.  
  
"Yeah, but I won't let you off so easy next time," Catra snickered as she wrapped her arms around Adora's neck, using them to pull up closer to the blonde. Both girls closed their eyes, leaning towards each other and this time properly locking lips. Their kiss was passionate and gluttonous, the lovers desiring to take as much as they could before a certain sparkly princess could teleport her way to them and interrupt the moment.   
  
As they continued to kiss, Catra's ears twitched, sensing a familiar sound. Hearing something cutting through the air, Catra's eyes widened in fear as she broke her kiss with Adora. "Adora! Look ou-" It was too late. Before Catra could warn Adora, or break the embrace and push her aside, Adora was suddenly hit by something that pushed her off her feet and onto the ground. When Adora landed on her stomach, Catra was crushed between the hard ground and She-Ra's muscular form.  
  
Adora felt the excruciating pain of two giant hand axes buried in her back as she slowly lifted herself up with her arms and knees on the ground.   
  
"A-Adora...?" Catra said, filled with fear and disbelief as she saw blood leak out of Adora's mouth. Adora couldn't speak, only give pained croaks as her wide eyes wondered what had hit her. Both pairs of eyes gazed at each other, begging not to be separated.  
  
Adora went limp and fell atop Catra again with eyes close as the hand axes flew from her back and returned to the hands of an exhausted Babkrawl. As Babkrawl walked over to the lovers, Adora glowed brightly; reverting back to her normal form.  
  
"Adora! Adora wake up!" Catra said as she tried to grab Adora's limp body but was too weak to move even a single muscle.  
  
"Ah crap, hope I didn't kill her," Babkrawl said as he towered over Catra and Adora. He wasn't familiar with how the She-Ra transformation worked, but he sure hoped She-Ra reverting to normal didn't mean she was dead- that would be a lot of units down the drain. "Well even if she is dead, we still have the arrow kid and the sparkly one's bounties to hunt down."  
  
Catra wanted to turn and tear apart Babkrawl limb from limb; make him cry for forgiveness that would never be gifted to him, but Catra was powerless; her body just wouldn't move. Catra's raging eyes were met with Babkrawl's own pair; the goblin-man pondering on what to do with the feline.  
  
"I really should bring you in alive. Might make some profit to compensate for your dead girlfriend, but I also reeeeeally want to skin you too..." Babkrawl said as he considered his options. Once he had finally made his decision, he gave a deep; devious chuckle. "You know what? You would make for a nice bib," Babkrawl raised his ax and prepared to cut open Catra's head, but suddenly-he was blinded by a pink flash; then he felt as if he was about to almost vomit as a clenched; burning fist dug into his gut.  
  
"Get away from my friends..." Babkrawl looked below, surprised to see one of the other targets suddenly below him; staring up at him-dead in the eyes-with cold rage-as her sparkling fist remained shoved into his gut.  
  
"Where the hell did yo-" Before Babkrawl could finish, Glimmer quickly uppercut Babkrawl, as soon as Glimmer's sparkling fist made contact with his jaw the both of them were teleported off the cliff. Glimmer then teleported back to safe ground; letting Babkrawl fall.  
  
Glimmer turned to see Catra flipping over Adora; fighting through the sore pain of her body as she cradled Adora close to her chest. "Adora! Talk to me! Say something!" Catra exclaimed as streams of water poured from her eyes.  
  
Glimmer teleported beside Adora, worry overflowing her. "Adora..." Glimmer said as she looked over Adora's idol body. Before Glimmer could let fear and worry overwhelm her, she put her hands on Catra and Adora. "Hang on," Glimmer said before teleporting all of them. At first, they all teleported within some parts of the forest, before finally being in range and arriving inside Darla's control room.  
  
"Adora!" Bow exclaimed, jumping off the captain's seat and hurrying over to the girls alongside Melog; seeing a crying Catra cradling Adora's body. "Are you guys okay!?"  
  
"Do we look okay!?" Catra exclaimed; Melog's fur turning into its spiked read. If looks could kill, Bow would have been eviscerated-Catra's rage shifted into remorse, her ears drooping down as she turned her attention back to Adora. Catra scanned Adora's face in fear, she couldn't tell if she was staring at her lover-or a corpse. "Please don't leave me.... don't leave me Adora."  
  
Glimmer placed two fingers on Adora's neck to check her pulse; Catra would have checked earlier, but she was too afraid to feel the lack of blood flow in her veins; the absence of life. Glimmer's worried eyes suddenly shimmered with hope. "She's alive!"  
  
A massive wave of relief washed over Catra, the cat-girl giving her lover a kiss on the forehead before resting her head against Adora's, whispering to her that she will be alright.   
  
Bow gave a sigh of relief, before putting on a more serious; yet concern mien. He remembered when Melog arrived at the ship, they drew in the sand that Adora and Catra were in trouble. "Guys, what happened? Why is Adora unconscious?"   
"We were attacked by bounty hunters," Catra said as she didn't dare keep her eyes off Adora. Melog licked Catra's face and rubbed their head against her, calming the cat-girl.  
  
"Bounty hunters are after She-Ra?" Glimmer asked with confusion, wondering why on earth the savior of the universe would have a bounty on her head.  
  
"Not just She-Ra..." Catra shook her head, turning up to meet Glimmer and Bow's eyes with urgency. "They’re after the Best Friend Squad..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I would love to hear your feedback!
> 
> *The action in this chapter was inspired by the work of the late animator Monty Oum, and his fight scenes that could be seen in Red VS Blue (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egeYSP-FAxw&t=2763s) and RWBY. Future actions scenes will also take major inspirations from these fight scenes.
> 
> *This chapter was really fun to right, from the action to Catradora fighting together was honestly a joy to put in text.
> 
> *The scene where Glimmer punches Babkrawl in the gut and then uppercuts him is a reference to a move Gohan performs against Perfect Cell in Dragon Ball Z.
> 
> *Some of you may have noticed that I have changed the name of the fic from "Princess' Bounty" to "Bounty Hunted". I was having a lot of difficulty coming up with a good name for this fic, even when I came up with "Princess' Bounty" the name just didn't sit right with me. However this chapter was originally going to be name "Bounty Hunted", then I realized that this name would actually be great for the story as a hole and better convey what can be expected from the story. Feel free to tell me what you think of the name change, I hope it is to everyone's liking.


End file.
